My memorial is set on the third planet humans have occupied. When we ran out of space on
Earth, we sought refuge on a new planet, which wee called: New Beginnings. However, when
we had to leave New Beginnings after a short stay during which we repeated the mistakes we
had made on Earth, we decided it was time to redress the qualities and habits which had evicted
us from not one, but two homes. These traits–indulgence, greed, superficiality–were the downfall
of our civilizations. Currently, the memorial’s designer and a population of around 100,000 are
en route to a new planet, New Beginnings II. Life on this planet will be strictly planned out.
There is work to be done and time, for the most part, cannot be wasted. To avoid falling into the
role of a mindless civilian, this memorial, “Reminders to Make the Choice,” is designed to force
its audience members to take an active role in their environment.
The structure is a large dome. The only way to enter the dome is through multiple “traditional”
doors at various entrances and exits. This is the first choice the audience makes–to willingly
enter the dome of their own will. The doors are on hinges, you need to turn a knob. This choice
is an agreement by the audience to engage in their surroundings and to enter the space
purposefully.
Inside the dome will call to another unfamiliar form from the distant life on Earth: a park. While
the elements of the park itself may be foreign, its essence and beauty is intended to transcend the
barrier of time. The park has no designated structure; there are no paths, no route that determines
which parts of the park get seen and which do not. It is filled with trees of the same species. The
trees are the dead.
This is one marker of efficiency; the trees bring life to New Beginnings II through natural
oxygen. As they did on Earth and New Beginnings, the dead occupy space on New Beginnings
II. They are remembered and visited and play an active role in life on the planet. The memorial is
a resting place for the dead and a place of remembrance for the living. Even the dead without
loved ones will have visitors. This makes death visible and beautiful. An embrace of nature,
rather than a rejection of it as had been established in modern cultures.
No matter what your status, your role, or your income, the promise after death on New
Beginnings II is the same. No tree is larger or more centrally located than another. There is an
equality in death that will serve to humble the materialistic tendencies of our species. It will be a
lesson that, despite the life you lived, the wealth you amassed, your final resting place is the
same. Some may see this aspect as a rejection of culture and a denial of mourning. There is a
great lesson, however, to be learned in removing these kinds of choices from death.
In the center of the park are three floating orbs, two black and one white. They hover eight feet
above the ground so that park-goers can stand under them as they spin. The two darker orbs
remind us of the two planets before ours that we failed. Conversely, the white orb stands for
hope–a clean slate. The two black orbs are solid. The white is hollow, its insides filled with the
soil of Earth and New Beginnings. They are the only planned elements of the park, sitting where
the ceilings are highest. Under the white orb reads a plaque embedded into the ground:
“Remember and Grow.”
Finally, as you exit the park, the doors that you entered from are painted like the sky; like the door from the ending of the film The Truman Show. This is the final choice the audience makes: to reenter the unfamiliar world of New Beginnings II. In the film, Truman’s reality has been constructed around him and for him. While it is artificial, it is also comfortable. These truths exist in opposition to his constructed reality. Despite this, Truman makes the choice to leave. He leaves aware of the promises of the unknown: unfamiliar, harsh, and cold. This is not a message to deter the citizens of New Beginnings II. It is not intended to dissuade them from their new realities. Rather, it encourages the recognition that the park is nostalgic and comfortable. It is reprieve. However, time in the park cannot be infinite, and eventually, there must be a conscious return to this foreign world. It is a choice that must be made willingly and with an understanding of the promises offered by New Beginnings II.
